Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Scallion Oil Rolls

When she got home, Meng Yufei put her bag on the sofa, placed the pineapple on the dining table, and took the eggs to the kitchen to organize them.

Xia Qinqin ran into the small room, opened the desk drawer, took out the colored pencils and drawing paper inside, and trotted back to the dining table.

She climbed onto the chair nimbly, spread out the drawing paper on the dining table, and began to draw the pineapple on the table.

Meng Yufei came out of the kitchen and saw her drawing. She asked, "Qinqin, your hand is holding a pen now. Does it hurt where the wound is?"

Xia Qinqin shook her head, stretched out her hand and said, "It doesn't hurt anymore."

Meng Yufei nodded in relief after hearing what she said, and then reminded her, "Then be careful not to touch the wound."

"Uh-huh."

Meng Yufei turned back to the kitchen, took out four eggs, beat them into a soup bowl, added some warm water, stirred them with the warm water, and then put them in the pot on the coal stove to steam.

There was no steamer at home, so Meng Yufei placed a bowl upside down in the pot and carefully placed the soup bowl on it. She added water from the pot to the bottom of the soup bowl, then covered the pot with a lid and lit the fire.

After steaming the eggs, Meng Yufei was about to go to the cafeteria to get food. Seeing Xia Qinqin lying on the dining table and drawing intently, she asked her, "Qinqin, Mommy is going to the cafeteria. Do you want to go with me? Or do you want to continue drawing at home?"

Xia Qinqin held the paintbrush in her hand with a knot in her heart. After thinking for a while, she dropped the paintbrush, slid off the chair, ran to her mother's side, held her hand and said, "I want to be with Mom."

"Okay, let's go, come back soon, and continue painting when you come back."

The cafeteria cooked clams tonight. I've had it before and it tasted pretty good. A serving was only ten cents. After all, this serving was mostly shells, with relatively little meat.

I ordered another vegetable dish, stir-fried pea sprouts, for five cents, along with a bowl of kelp soup and half a pound of rice.

When I got home, Mrs. Zhang from the next yard shouted to me across the fence of the two houses, "Sister, you're back. Wait a minute, I steamed some steamed buns today, I'll give you some to try." Then she turned back into the house and brought out a big plate full of steamed buns.

Meng Yufei waved her hands and refused to take it, saying, "Sister-in-law, you are too polite. We just had your chive dumplings two days ago. How can we afford to eat flower rolls again?"

Mrs. Zhang directly shoved the plate into Meng Yufei's hands and said, "Don't be polite, just celebrate my job and thank you for encouraging me to go."

Sign up. Take it quickly, don’t drop it on the floor.”

Meng Yufei had no choice but to take it. She smelled the scallion fragrance coming from the noodles and said, "Sister-in-law, these are scallion oil rolls."

Mrs. Zhang smiled and said, "Yes, the green onions we used were picked in our yard. The green onions grew very well this year and we can't eat them all. If you want to eat more, you can come and pick them anytime."

Xia Qinqin looked at the flower roll in Meng Yufei's hand curiously and asked, "Mom, what is this?"

Meng Yufei held the plate lower to show her, and explained to her: "This is a steamed bun rolled into a flower shape. Look at the edge of the roll, does it look like a petal?"

Xia Qinqin stared at Hua Juan carefully, touched her head and said, "It seems - a little bit like, um... but also not like."

Meng Yufei and Zhang Dasao both laughed. Zhang Dasao said to her, "This is better than flowers. This is edible. Go back and try it. If it tastes good, I'll make it for you next time."

Xia Qinqin nodded and said seriously: "I will go back and try it carefully. Thank you, Auntie."

Mrs. Zhang touched Xia Qinqin's head and praised, "Oh, this girl is really good at talking."

After delivering the flower rolls, Mrs. Zhang went back home, with some vegetables still simmering on the pot.

Meng Yufei took the lunch box and a plate of steamed buns back to the house. After taking out the plate from Mrs. Zhang's house, she washed it and returned it.

Xia Qinqin returned home and continued to draw her pineapple. In order to avoid the wound on her palm, she held the pen carefully, and her drawing movements were naturally not very fast.

When Xia Junshan came back, Xia Qinqin was immersed in painting. She did not greet her father as she did before, which made Xia Junshan a little uncomfortable.

I feel empty inside...

Xia Junshan walked over and saw that there were only a few leaves drawn on the paper.

"Qinqin, what are you drawing?"

Hearing her father's voice, Xia Qinqin turned around and said with a smile: "Dad, you're back~"

She pointed to the pineapple on the dining table and said, "I'm drawing it!"

Xia Junshan said: "Oh, then this is a lot of work, I guess it will take until tomorrow to finish it."

Meng Yufei came out of the kitchen with bowls, chopsticks and a plate of steamed buns, and said with a smile: "Then don't eat this pineapple today, save it for tomorrow."

Xia Qinqin looked at the pineapple on the table with a troubled look on her face.

Xia Junshan saw the steamed buns that Meng Yufei brought out and asked, "Is this another one sent by Mrs. Zhang next door?"

Meng Yufei raised her eyebrows and asked, "You can guess this?"

Xia Junshan smiled and pointed at the steamed buns, saying, "Look how fluffy the dough is. The chef in the cafeteria cooks delicious dishes, but the noodles here are not as good as those made by Mrs. Zhang next door."

Meng Yufei put the plate on the table, looked at the steamed bun carefully, and nodded: "Now that you mention it, it seems to be a little fluffier than other steamed buns."

Xia Junshan said as he put the dishes on the table: "You get along well with this sister-in-law Zhang. She sent you leek dumplings a few days ago, and today she sent you steamed buns."

To outsiders, Meng Yufei and Zhang Dasao are from two completely different worlds, but they actually get along so well.

Meng Yufei said, "Mrs. Zhang got a job as a kindergarten teacher, so let's steam some steamed buns to celebrate."

Xia Junshan nodded and said, "Now that you have a job, you should celebrate."

Meng Yufei slapped her forehead and said, "Oh! I haven't taken the steamed eggs out of the pot yet." Then she turned around and went to the kitchen.

Xia Junshan followed her and saw her opening the pot lid to start cooking. He quickly stopped her and said, "Let me do it. Boil it!"

Xia Junshan brought out a bowl of steamed eggs and placed them on the dining table. Meng Yufei looked at the over-steamed eggs with holes on them and said regretfully, "They were steamed for too long. They are overcooked."

Xia Junshan smiled and said, "It's okay. It won't affect your meal."

Meng Yufei said to Xia Qinqin, "It's time to eat, Qinqin, put away your paper and pen, and draw tomorrow."

"oh."

Xia Junshan wanted to help Xia Qinqin put away her things, but she didn't want to and insisted on doing it herself. She ran to the small room and put everything away.

After coming out, Xia Qinqin ran to Xia Junshan and pointed at the pineapple on the table and said, "Dad, I won't draw it anymore. Let's eat it today!"

Xia Junshan gently scratched her nose and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll cut it off after dinner."

Meng Yufei asked her: "Qinqin, do you want to eat flower rolls or egg rice?"

"Well...I want to eat them all!"

Meng Yufei picked up Xia Qinqin's small bowl, filled it with half a bowl of rice, scooped a few spoonfuls of steamed eggs into it, mixed it, and handed it to her, "Okay, eat it after you finish it, then eat the steamed buns."

Xia Junshan said: "Let me feed it."

Xia Qinqin shook her head and refused: "No, Dad, my hand is healed and it doesn't hurt anymore." Then she raised her palm to show him. The scab had hardened and looked like it was about to fall off.

Xia Junshan nodded and said, "Okay, then eat slowly."

“Hmm~”

Xia Qinqin picked up her little spoon and happily scooped the eggs into the rice to eat.

After taking a big bite, Xia Qinqin gave Meng Yufei a thumbs up and said, "The eggs made by mom are the most delicious."

Meng Yufei smiled and scooped another spoonful of eggs from her bowl. "Then eat more. Mom will steam better eggs for you next time."

Xia Qinqin smiled widely, "Thank you, Mom. Qinqin likes the eggs you make the most."

Meng Yufei asked Xia Junshan again, "What about you? What do you want to eat?"

Xia Junshan said: "I want to eat flower rolls."

Meng Yufei picked up a steamed bun and handed it to him, saying, "...Save the remaining rice for tomorrow."

Xia Junshan took the steamed bun and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll make you some egg fried rice tomorrow morning. You have to use rice from the previous night, so it will be more fragrant when you fry it."

Meng Yufei smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll be waiting."

Xia Qinqin swallowed the egg-breaded rice in her mouth and echoed, "Qinqin will wait too."

"Okay..." Xia Junshan nodded with a smile.

After finishing the meal and putting down the bowl and chopsticks, Xia Junshan said to Meng Yufei: "I have a night training tonight, and I guess I won't be back until tomorrow morning. When you go to bed at night, lock the door from the inside, and don't leave it open for me."

After saying that, he stood up to clean up the dishes. Meng Yufei said, "Leave it to me to clean up. When are you leaving?"

Xia Junshan said, "There's still time. Let me wash the dishes and peel the pineapple for Qinqin before I go over."

Meng Yufei pursed her lips and said with some worry: "It's so late, please be careful."

Xia Junshan smiled and said in a relaxed tone: "It's okay, it's just routine training."

—————

Deputy Commander Chen's face has been gloomy since he talked with Director Fu in the afternoon, causing his comrades to wonder if the couple had another fight.

Ever since Vice Captain Chen’s family came to the island, not to mention the conflicts between Qi Huiying and other family members, the couple seemed to quarrel frequently, but Vice Captain Chen was never this angry…

What trouble has Qi Huiying gotten herself into again?

There's no way. Given Qi Huiying's current reputation, whenever she has a conflict with others, the first reaction is that it was her fault.

After work, Deputy Head Chen had dinner in the cafeteria before going home.

Qi Huiying was sitting on the sofa. Seeing him coming back empty-handed, she asked, "Didn't you go to the cafeteria to get food?"

Deputy Head Chen took off his hat and said expressionlessly, "I've eaten in the cafeteria."

Qi Huizi glared at him and asked unhappily, "Then what should I eat?"

"My family has money and tickets, how can they starve you?"

Qi Huiying choked. She felt ashamed for not being elected as the kindergarten principal. She did not go out all day and did not want to go to the cafeteria for dinner. She felt that someone would laugh at her if she passed by the bulletin board.

She raised her chin and said matter-of-factly, "Go and call me back. I'm hungry."

Deputy Head Chen ignored her and went to the kitchen to heat water for bathing. Qi Huiying called him: "Hey, did you hear me?"

No response.

She got up angrily and walked to the kitchen door, asking, "What's wrong with you?"

Deputy Head Chen sat under the stove, burning a fire, staring at the burning flames, and said, "I met Director Fu of the Logistics Department this afternoon and talked to him about your registration."

A trace of guilt flashed across Qi Huiying's face. "You...didn't I tell you not to ask about this?"

Deputy Head Chen turned to look at her and said, "You should stay at home and stay quiet in the courtyard from now on. Don't always think about going out to work. When you have children in the future, just stay at home and take care of them."

Qi Huiying said in astonishment: "What are you talking about? I don't want to stay at home to do housework and take care of the children. That's what shrews do."

Deputy Head Chen nodded and said, "Okay, if you don't want to do housework, I'll bring my mother over from my hometown in a few days."

"No!" Qi Huiying firmly objected, "I don't agree!"

Before getting married, Qi Huiying went back to his hometown with him once, and her impression of her mother-in-law was that of a vulgar and ignorant country woman. She thought it was impossible for her to live with such a mother-in-law.

Thinking of Captain Xue's mother, she, who didn't like to go out, had seen the old woman being naughty several times, and she felt more and more resistant.

"Why do you want to bring your mother here? Don't even think about it!"

Deputy Head Chen said coldly: "Either you stay at home or bring my mother over. You can choose one."

Qi Hui stomped her feet in anger. Seeing her husband's cold expression, she felt panic in her heart. He... why did he suddenly change?

"You--why do you treat me like this? You are so much older than me and you are uneducated. I married you without any complaints. What else do you want?"

Shouldn't he just comfort himself?

Deputy Head Chen is 31 years old this year and Qi Huiying is 24 years old, a six-year age difference between the two.

Deputy Head Chen has waited until now to get married, firstly because he has been stationed in the frontier for several years and has not had the opportunity to go out for several years. Secondly, because he has high standards, he is not willing to marry any country girl introduced to him by his hometown, and he is determined to find a city girl, preferably a cultured one.

Finally, he found one. So after getting married, he was more tolerant of this wife who was a few years younger than him, thinking that city people might just be more picky.

But this time Qi Huiying had gone too far, and he felt that he could no longer tolerate it.

In Qi Huiying's imagination, she thought that if she found a military officer, she would be able to live a life of luxury, live in a small Western-style house, drive a car, and enjoy the flattery of others.

Who knew that after coming to the island to follow the army, there would always be a huge gap between reality and ideal, and this place is completely a shabby place with no one living there!

There were no department stores, no state-owned hotels, no movie theaters... let alone cars, there were not even bicycles...

Qi Huiying, who came from decades later, was used to the prosperity of the modern city, so she couldn't stand it! During the days in Qiongzhou City after traveling through time, she felt that it was extremely backward, let alone this island.

Moreover, among the family members who followed the army, all the men were military officers. Even if the husbands were of lower rank, no one would do anything to flatter them.

In this era, using backdoors to flatter others is a shameful thing, and no one dares to do it openly as it is not in line with mainstream ideological values.

In this era, the most glorious identity is to be a member of the worker, peasant or soldier class. For a descendant of a capitalist like Qi Huiying, it is not a good identity and is an existence despised by others.

The more Qi Huiying thought about it, the more she felt wronged. She complained, "I was so blind to marry you!"

Upon hearing this, Deputy Head Chen sneered and said, "I think you carefully selected me before marrying me. Yes, I was attracted by your youth, education, and city folks. But you, and your mother, were also attracted by my military officer status."

His words startled Qi Huiying, who stammered, "You...you...you are talking nonsense..."

What was originally a matter of getting what one wants between adults was bluntly revealed, and Qi Huiying, who had always felt that she was superior, was a little overwhelmed.

She felt helpless and terrified that the script was different from what she had imagined...

Deputy Head Chen stood up from the stove, dusted himself off, and said in a deep voice, "Is it better for you to bring my mother over or stay at home? Please think about it carefully."

After saying this, he went to fetch water and take a bath, leaving Qi Huiying standing there in a daze, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.

—————

After being frightened by Meng Yufei and running out of the house in the afternoon, Mrs. Xue came to the home of Captain Hou who lived in the back row. He also had an old mother who had followed the army.

Captain Hou's family is one of the few families in the entire family compound that has elders who followed the army.

Since arriving on the island, what Old Lady Xue was most dissatisfied with was that there was no one on the island with whom she could talk. The women in the family compound were basically young wives who were a generation younger than her, and she could not chat with them. Only Old Lady Tang from Captain Hou's family could chat with her.

Mrs. Xue was picked up by the Xue family as a daughter-in-law when she fled from famine, and she has taken the Xue family's surname ever since. Mrs. Tang and Captain Hou's father were neighbors in the same village, and after she got married, people still called her by her family's surname.

The two old ladies love to get together and say bad things about their daughter-in-law...

Mrs. Tang was sewing shoe soles at home. When she saw Mrs. Xue running over with her hands covered, she laughed at her, "What are you doing? What good things do you have in your hands that you are running so fast while covering them?"

Mrs. Xue and her daughter-in-law entered the house and stuck their heads around to look around. Mrs. Tang said, "No need to look. There's no one at home except me. Come and sit down." She pointed to a small stool next to her.

"Oh my god, you don't know, my hand was almost broken!" Grandma Xue and her husband sat paralyzed on the bench and complained.

Mrs. Tang asked curiously, "Did your wife hit you?"

Grandma Xue's eyes widened and she pouted, "She dares?! She is such a rebellious little whore."

"Who is that?"

Mrs. Xue and her daughter-in-law came over and muttered in a low voice: "It's that wife of Captain Xia's family, meddling in other people's business! I was disciplining my daughter-in-law at home, and she came over to interfere. Isn't that infuriating?"

Mrs. Tang thought for a moment and said, "That person from Captain Xia's family, isn't that the new person from the Finance Department, Director Meng? Oh, I saw him when he was issuing invoices the other day. He looked very gentle and didn't seem like someone who would hit anyone."

"Why not?"

Mrs. Xue stretched out her hand anxiously, but saw that it was only black and gray without any scratches. She retracted her hand in embarrassment and said, "Anyway, she is a very bad bitch... a woman who even said she would go to the army leader to sue me. She talks in a very complicated way."

Thinking of Meng Yufei's previous threats, she finally took back the curse words.

Mrs. Tang glanced at her sideways, then lowered her head to sew the soles of her shoes, saying, "These educated and employed women are all amazing."

Mrs. Xue nodded. "Yes, your tigress daughter-in-law is the same. The shoes in your hand are obviously made for her, right? I remember you made shoes for her last month. How can you be so wasteful?"

Mrs. Tang sighed and said, "Who said it wasn't true? I've only worn my new shoes for a month, and the other day I told her, cough, cough..." She coughed twice and imitated in a pinched voice, "The weather is getting hot, and my current shoes are too warm to wear. I want to change to a pair of thin shoes."

After learning the words, he shook his head and said, "Tsk, tsk, tsk...just look at how hypocritical the young wives are nowadays. In the past, we would wear the same pair of shoes from the beginning of the year to the end of the year."

Mrs. Xue slapped her thigh and said, "Who says it's not true? When I was a daughter-in-law before, I never wore new clothes or new shoes. Now my daughter-in-law has to make new clothes every year! And those three money-losing maids, not to mention eating and wearing good clothes, I asked them to do some housework, but they started quarreling with me..."

The more she talked, the angrier Mrs. Xue became. "Tell me, is there any daughter-in-law like this? She dares to talk back to an old woman?"

Mrs. Tang nodded and said, "Yes, when we were daughters-in-law, we didn't dare to say a word when our mother-in-law spoke."

Mrs. Xue finally found someone to vent her grievances to. "Hey, the world has changed. It's getting harder and harder to be a mother-in-law. My son is useless. He acts as if he doesn't know anything when his mother is bullied. Isn't it infuriating?"

Mrs. Tang used a needle to scratch her head and echoed, "It's the same with my family, a timid man who is afraid of his wife. He does whatever the tigress says and has no manliness at all."

Mrs. Xue said angrily: "If it were in our country, a woman like this would be beaten to death by a man!"

The two of them chatted enthusiastically, and before they knew it, it was time to get off work.

Zhao Meixia returned home carrying her bag. She heard voices from inside the house at the door and shouted, "Mom, there are guests at home."

The noise in the room stopped instantly.

Zhao Meixia pushed the door open and entered the room. Seeing Aunt Xue, she frowned slightly and then smiled and said, "Aunt Xue is here."

Mrs. Xue stood up and said, "Meixia is off work. Oh, it's getting late. I'll go home first."

After Mrs. Xue left, Zhao Meixia said, "Mom, why are you with Mrs. Xue again? Didn't I tell you that she has a bad reputation in our family compound and you should have less contact with her in the future?"

Mrs. Tang said awkwardly, "Well, she came to my house on her own initiative, and I couldn't ask her to leave, so I just wanted to talk."

Zhao Meixia frowned and said, "I heard on the way back that in the afternoon, that old woman Xue beat her daughter-in-law and granddaughter and sent them to the hospital."

"Ah?" Mrs. Tang was surprised. "I didn't know that. She came and said she had a quarrel with her daughter-in-law. Who knew they would even fight?"

Zhao Meixia said: "You'd better not associate with her in the future."

Mrs. Tang nodded and said, "Oh, I understand."

Zhao Meixia took out a lettuce from her bag and said, "This is what the stall didn't sell today. Master Qi asked us to divide it among ourselves and bring it back."

Mrs. Tang took it with a smile and said, "This lettuce looks very tender. It's best for making cold shredded bamboo shoots. Your unit still has half a bottle of sesame oil distributed during the Chinese New Year. Add a few drops and it will be very fragrant. Yuan Chao loves it the most. I'll make it now and he can eat it when he gets home from school."

Zhao Meixia worked in the supply and marketing cooperative, not only earning more than 30 yuan a month, but also having good benefits. Mrs. Tang was dissatisfied with her daughter-in-law behind her back, but she would never express it to her face.

Zhao Meixia hung up her bag and glanced at the half-made shoes on the sofa. Seeing that they looked like her size, she turned around and asked, "Mom, are these shoes made for me?"

"Yes," Mrs. Tang said, somewhat asking for credit, "You said you wanted to wear single shoes, so I'll make you a new pair. Both the upper and the sole are breathable."

Zhao Meixia smiled and said, "Didn't I tell you to buy a pair? Why are you wasting your time?"

Mrs. Tang said, "The ones you buy are not as comfortable as the ones I make."

Zhao Meixia nodded and said, "Okay, when you're done, I'll pay you for the work."

Mrs. Tang smiled and waved her hands, saying, "Oh, how can I take your money? I'm going to cook."

Mrs. Tang turned around and went to the kitchen. She was very happy. Although her daughter-in-law had a bad temper and loved to lecture people, she was generous. She gave her five yuan every month, saying that it was for her hard work in doing housework.

What's so hard about doing housework? It's just cooking and washing clothes. In the countryside, you have to do farm work. Here, not only do you do some housework every day, but you also get paid!

Mrs. Tang has been doing housework for most of her life, and no one has ever asked for a salary. Moreover, she works for her son and grandson's family and is willing to do it.

Thinking of this, Mrs. Tang thought again: If only this daughter-in-law had a gentler personality, was more respectful to her mother-in-law, and stopped yelling at her son...